University of Calgary Child Development Centre opens
LEED-platinum-certified building sets Canadian and world records
BRADLEY FEHR
EDITOR
www.joconl.com
The new University of Calgary Child Development Centre is the largest LEED platinum certified building in the country.
The 125,000 square foot facility opened its doors in October and cost $23 million to build..
“It was a request by the University of Calgary that we reach LEED platinum (certification),” explained Judy MacDougall, project architect with Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd., which designed the building.
“It was the primary drive in the design of the building in all respects.”
The centre became the highest scoring LEED certified building in Canada with 57 points and became the highest scoring cold climate, LEED certified building in the world. The LEED rating system is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
The point-based rating system covers six areas: site development, water and energy efficiency, material selection, indoor air quality and innovation of design.
“It was very, very challenging,” she said.
“The scale of the building made it more difficult to reach LEED platinum.”
The university took a construction management approach to the project.
The project manager was R.C. Peterson Ltd. and the construction manager was EllisDon.
The only other LEED platinum building in the country is located on Vancouver Island.
Bill Chomik is an architect with Kasian and the principal in charge of the project.
He said that there were a number of issues to deal with during the project including heating and cooling features of the building that have different requirements in different seasons.
A team of people from different companies involved in the project of the building met regularly throughout the construction to see where LEED points could be gained.
Chomik said that the university requested LEED platinum certification, but that wasn’t something he could promise.
“It was impossible to guarantee the outcome,” he explained.
The project incorporated a number of green initiatives including solar panels capable of producing 65,000 kilowatt hours worth of electricity annually, which is enough electricity to power six single family homes for a year.
The building also includes high-performance boilers and water efficient fixtures.
The exterior of the building was clad in Zinc to increase its durability and decrease the need for maintenance.
Even the construction materials were green.
The concrete has a high fly-ash mix, which contains 75 per cent post-industrial recycled content.
Fly ash is an inorganic byproduct generated by Alberta’s coal fired electrical generation plants. When used in concrete, it replaces traditional materials such as lime, cement and crushed stone, which require energy to produce.
A Sarnafil Roofing system was used because of its high reflectivity and high emissivity. This was done to reduce the thermal difference between developed and undeveloped lands.
The inside of the building was also designed with LEED certification in mind.
All washrooms use non-potable water and utilize low flow dual flush toilets, waterless urinals and flow restrictors to reduce water use.
Chomik said that construction costs were about 10-20 per cent higher than traditional building methods, but that many of the features will pay for themselves in the next few years through operating costs.
Even waste trucked away from the site came under scrutiny for the certification and that too was dealt with in a green manner.
Eighty-three per cent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills as recycling stations were easily accessible and located on each floor of the project.
Chomik said that despite the building practices and material used, he was still nervous about the verdict for certification.
“We were on pins and needles until the end,” he said, adding that in the end they overshot their goal.
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